Xenosaga Episode III set for fall

The fate of humankind has been teetering over a precipice since Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht saw release on the PlayStation 2 in February of 2003. Now Namco Bandai's sci-fi role-playing game trilogy is set to conclude, as the company today announced that Xenosaga Epidode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra will write the final chapter in the story this fall.

The series' battle system has been updated for the conclusion, and players will be afforded more opportunity to customize their characters and given better rewards for deft party management. Namco Bandai also plans to include a Xeno Bible database feature, more than three hours of cutscenes, and a minigame with more than 50 levels.

Without spoiling too much of the story, Episode III takes place a year after the conclusion of Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Bose, with protagonist Shion resigning from Vector Industries after discovering its connection to the Gnosis phenomenon. Episode III will follow her attempts to uncover the secrets of Vector and the Gnosis and save all humankind.

Namco has not yet announced pricing or rating information for Xenosaga: Episode III.